


a love like ours

by Erulisse17



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Humor, Hades/Persephone Modern AU, Inspired by Hades and Persephone (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Mortician/Florist AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23694643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erulisse17/pseuds/Erulisse17
Summary: Ben Solo was not a religious man by nature.Perhaps he was influenced by the fact that he made a living among the dead, but even before he became Underhill Mortuary’s Funeral Director, he had strongly doubted the existence of the divine. Psalms and scriptures seemed to comfort some of the mourners, but it seemed to Ben that only the truly naïve believed heavenly powers existed in this mortal world.Until he sawher.A Modern Hades/Persephone AU, told in Reylo
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 85
Kudos: 362
Collections: Anniversary Fic Exchange 2020





	1. the sunlight on my hair a crown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Impossiblefangirl0632](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impossiblefangirl0632/gifts).



__

_PERSEPHONE TO HADES_

_You are the kindest thing_

_that ever happened to me,_

_even if that is not how our tale is told._

_When everyone else told me I was_

_destined to be a forgotten nymph_

_that nurtured ﬂowers and turn meadows gold,_

_you saw that the ichor that resides in me_

_demanded its own throne._

_You showed me_

_how a love like ours can turn_

_even the darkest, coldest realm_

_into the happiest of homes._

_\- Nikita Gill_

* * *

  
  


Ben Solo was not a religious man by nature.

Perhaps he was influenced by the fact that he made a living among the dead, but even before he became Underhill Mortuary’s Funeral Director, he had strongly doubted the existence of the divine. Psalms and scriptures seemed to comfort some of the mourners, but it seemed to Ben that only the truly naïve believed heavenly powers existed in this mortal world.

Until he saw _her._

The owners of the highly efficient and blessedly impersonal flower shop the mortuary typically partnered with, Mercury Marigolds, had inconsiderately decided to retire to Florida with only a week’s notice. That, plus a last-minute addition to an already busy week, threw him off schedule and into a foul mood with the realization he’d have to handle the search for the appropriately-themed arrangements personally.

On principle, Ben distrusted online storefronts, and thus decided in-person visits to local shops was his best (and only) option. This, however, meant leaving the mortuary, which always put him in a foul mood. Venturing out into the sun, his temper flared as his eyes watered in pain before adjusting to the bright glare.

Finding the first shop a few blocks away from his parking spot, Ben pushed open the door, ready with a list of questions about their stock of white carnations and order turnaround time when his eyes lit on a girl in a vibrant green apron, and the words stuck in his throat.

She had chestnut hair, done up in a halo braid wrapping around her head, a series of flowers adorning her hair like an ethereal, living crown. He stared as she stuck out the tip of her tongue and studied her reflection in the display case as she carefully tucked another sprig of baby’s breath into her braid, the small white flowers floating slightly above her head.

The door swung closed behind him, startling her into looking up, her hazel eyes going wide. The sudden blush in her cheeks only made rational thought more difficult for him as he took in her tanned skin, plush lips, and upturned nose.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you there!” She gestured to her floral crown and gave him a bashful smile. “Slow day. How can I help you?”

A question. She was asking him a question that he should probably answer. With words.

“I… funeral,” he managed at last.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she told him, profoundly sincere, as she reached for a book of sample arrangements, allowing him to glimpse the small name tag that simply read ‘Rey’.

“Don’t be,” Ben responded, then realized that was the wrong answer as she tilted her head in confusion, her brows puckering. 

“No, I mean, you can be sorry, if you want to, but I’m not.” Her frown deepened and he scrambled in increasing desperation. “No, what I mean is…”

She tried to offer him a conversational lifeline. “Complicated relationship?”

“Well, it’s more of a… professional relationship.”

Eyeing his dark three-piece suit, Rey tried, “Oh, were they a client of yours?”

“No. Yes. Well, they are now…”

Forcing himself to stop and marshall his thoughts into some kind of order, Ben finally explained, “I’m a funeral director.”

Comprehension dawned over her face. “Oh! That makes much more sense.” Flipping open her book, she threw him a bewitching smile. “So, I’d suggest some Easter lilies and white carnations. What do you think, elegant enough?”

He swallowed. “Yes. Please.”

***

The moment he returned to Underhill Mortuary, Gwen Phasma, his second-in-command, snatched the bundle of flowers out of his arms and shoved them at her harried-looking assistant, Mitaka. As the assistant rushed away, the platinum-haired woman glared at him. 

“Where the hell have you been? The service starts in twenty minutes. I was about to send Mitaka to fish wreaths from last night's viewing out of the dumpster!”

“Mercury didn’t consult me about retiring,” he snapped irritably.

“Well, at least tell me you found at least one decent candidate.”

Ben frowned. “Of course I did.”

“Good.” Phasma seemed slightly mollified. “How many did you visit?”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Ben suddenly remembered a series of tasks he needed to do in his office. “Enough,” he waved vaguely.

Phasma’s eyes narrowed.

“Enough being…?”

“One.”

“One? You were gone for _three hours_ and you only went to one shop?”

He sat in his large, black walnut chair, behind his intimidatingly formal desk, and made a show of leafing through important-looking papers, but his display of busyness did nothing to lessen Phasma’s glare.

Sighing, he averted his gaze and answered, “Yes. I had to be thorough.”

A single, perfectly manicured brow lifted skeptically. “Thorough.”

The image of Rey’s bright smile and floral crown rose in his mind, and he fought against the strange instinct to flush. “Yes.”

“Uh-huh,” she hummed, unconvinced. “Do they at least deliver?”

“I’m... not sure.”

Phasma rubbed her temples. “Will you find out?”

“Yes.” He may have nodded a tad too forcefully at the chance of visiting the flowershop again, but he honestly didn’t care. “Yes, I will.”

***

The door to Summerview opened with a light tinkle of bells, and Rey, now with three buns and a series of daffodils ranging from white to yellow tucked at the base of each one, looked up with a blazing smile.

“Hello again! Back for more?”

The corner of his mouth tugged up just a bit. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from [ _Letters From Persephone_](https://mythpoetrynet.tumblr.com/post/131176978553/i-wasnt-afraid-mama-i-was-bored-i-was)by Natalie Wee.


	2. You are the bones of my spine. You are the ground beneath my feet.

He didn’t mean for it to become routine, exactly. But Underhill was closed on Mondays (“No one wants to start their week with death,” Phasma had explained. “Except perhaps you.”) and it just so happened to provide an ideal time for him to gather his thoughts and organize his schedule and estimate how many floral arrangements he needed for the coming week.

“We just got a beautiful batch of hydrangeas in,” Rey was telling him one such Monday morning, a bright pink and orange hibiscus flower tucked behind her right ear. “They’re an incredible shade of blue and I think will add just the right touch to the next set of sprays.”

Ben hummed noncommittally. “I’m not sure. Most of our clientele is fairly conservative, and we’ve always used white before.”

“Life should be colorful, Ben,” she admonished playfully.

He leaned on the counter and responded, “What about death?”

“Especially-”

_“Ah-hem,”_ a pointed cough came from the back, and Ben sprang up guiltily while Rey simply turned and smiled. 

“Hello, Maz!”

Two chocolate brown eyes, magnified owlishly by an enormous pair of round-rimmed eyeglasses, caught Ben by surprise as the woman marched toward the counter. Although petite, the sharp gleam in her eye hinted at the power to make those even twice her size tremble in fear.

“And whose ear are you jabbering off?”

“This is Ben, from the Underhill-”

“Ah.” Her assessing look somehow made him more aware of the size of his ears and the state of his hair and how hunched his shoulders were. “Our funereal account.”

Ben nodded awkwardly. 

She stuck out her hand. “Maz Kanata. I own Summerview.” 

Her grip was surprisingly strong, for someone who looked close to a century old. 

“Pleasure,” he managed to respond after she released his hand, subtly trying to shake some feeling back into his fingers.

“I assume you’re here with an order?”

“Uh, yes.” He begrudgingly handed over the customary list, which he had only usually gave to Rey once he had mentioned he should leave at least three times.

“Very well,” Maz took it, then raised an eyebrow. “Unless there was something else?”

“I… no.”

“Well then. Off you go.”

Rey gave him a smile and a resigned half-shrug as he slowly made his way out, wondering if she was ever allowed out of this enclosure of light and glass and greenery. 

***

Everything changed the day his mother called.

A heart attack, she said.

Wanted to say he loved you, she sobbed.

She would understand if he said no, but there was really no other place they’d rather have the service, she confided.

It was all really a blur after that. He was fairly certain he answered with _of course’s_ and nods and an assurance that he would take care of everything before numbly handing Phasma the phone.

A day passed (or was it two?) and he found himself sitting in his dark wood chair, staring at the list of names on his screen, sure he was supposed to be doing… something.

“Yes,” Mitaka’s voice echoed distantly through the closed black door. “We need two wreaths, one large spray, one coffin spray, and… let’s say three general arrangements. Oh, uh… whatever flowers you usually send are fine.”

Ben swung the door open before he was aware of standing.

“Who are you talking to?”

Mitaka froze, glancing at the phone against his ear slowly. “The… flower people?”

“Summerview?” Ben asked, his mind filling with the scent of lilies and carnations.

“Yes?” He cautiously held up the handset. “Did you... want to talk to them?”

Taking a step forward, Ben suddenly paused, gloom descending once again, and shook his head. “... No.”

As he retreated back to his office, Mitaka stared between him and the phone in bewilderment.

***

“Sir.”

Ben, still sitting in his bedroom above the mortuary, glanced up vacantly. “Hm?”

“The service is starting in fifteen minutes,” Phasma’s voice and expression were as professional as ever, but there might have been a hint of kindness behind them.

“Yes. Right.” He nodded to himself, then made his way downstairs, fighting the urge to flee as multiple eyes turned to stare.

Part of being a mortician was dealing with mourners; shaking hands and looking solemn as they spoke of their late loved one. Phasma had once remarked that his natural glower suited his somber career quite well, at which he had sent her a glare that did nothing. But it was easy when the grieving relations and the deceased were strangers, when he knew his role and lines in directing those within his domain.

But this…

“Ben!” His mother, dressed in regal elegance, even in all black, motioned him down as she gave him a hug, heedless of the gossip no doubt racing through the crowd about the dreary prodigal undertaker son, nearly late to his own father’s funeral.

“Hello, Mom,” he murmured softly, allowing himself to lean into her embrace.

The service itself was somewhat of a haze. It was with an odd cognitive dissonance, a bizarre blurring of his personal and professional lives, that he half-listened to the minister’s words of comfort, weeping friends and family telling fond tales of remembrance, always framed by judgemental looks and whispers at the black sheep or unwanted guest (his turn for the role, apparently) when they did or didn’t speak, the event closed by a word from Phasma or himself (Gwen didn’t offer him a choice to conclude the gathering, which he supposed he should be grateful for).

Being on the receiving side of a service he offered was rather disorienting.

The long line of grim handshakes and teary hugs formed up, and Ben had nearly perfected a pattern of differing responses, ranging from sniffs to grunts to hums, repeating every five mourners (Leia’s elbow in his side the third time through hinted that she had caught on), when a familiar melodious voice told Leia how sorry she was for her loss.

Ben’s head whipped around to see a single white daisy adorning a half-ponytail of chestnut hair, which turned to reveal-

“Rey,” he breathed, the fog in his mind lifting a bit. “Hi.”

She offered him a soft smile in return. “Hi.”

Leia, perceptive as ever, glanced between them thoughtfully. “Ben, this is Rey. She worked at your father’s car shop for a few years. But it seems you already know each other?”

“Oh, yes, Summerview actually provides the floral arrangements for Underhill,” Rey explained as a sparkle began to return to Leia’s eyes.

“That’s right, you moved back in with Maz. How is she?”

“Much better, thanks. She’s actually here, somewhere. Probably fixing the wreaths and terrorizing the attendants.”

That earned her a soft laugh before a discreet cough came from the right. Leia gave her a kind “So glad you could make it, dear,” before turning and greeting the next person in line. “Amilyn, so good of you to come.”

Ben’s focus narrowed as she slipped her slight hand into his large one. “I’m sorry for your loss. I didn’t realize you were Han’s son.”

“Well, he... we… it was…”

“A complicated relationship?” She guessed gently, the echo of their first meeting bringing the first bit of lightness to his spirit that day.

He took a moment to stare into her hazel eyes, flecks of green reflecting the sun’s light through the window. “Exactly.”

The line was starting to back up, so Rey gave him one last smile. “I should…”

“Oh, right,” he agreed reluctantly, darkness threatening to descend again as her hand started to leave his own. 

Possibly sensing his panic, she placed her free hand on top of his and said, “I… I’m glad I could come.” 

“Me too,” he answered, wistfully watching her step to the side and lean into the giant bear hug from his uncle.

Finally, the reception was over, and after deftly avoiding both Luke and Lando’s goodbyes, accepting Chewie’s long embrace and assurance that Han had loved him, in spite of everything, and agreeing to his mother’s request to a standing weekly lunch date, Ben found himself completely exhausted.

Eager to crawl upstairs and do nothing ever again, he turned the corner to the landing and froze. Studying the antique print of four Egyptian canopic jars with curiosity, still standing in his home (well, the downstairs was technically his business, but close enough), was Rey. He could now see the black dress she was wearing was actually spotted with constellations of tiny stars, bringing elements of vibrancy and life to even this dour place.

Catching his reflection in the glass, she whirled around, dress flaring around her as she spun, chestnut hair being tossed over her shoulder. She raised a tentative hand in greeting.

“Hi.”

“You’re still here,” he observed numbly.

“Yeah. I hope you don’t mind-”

“No, not… not at all.”

“Oh. Good. I… I just wanted to ask you something.”

Ah, here it comes. The questions everyone who knew his father wanted to ask him. What went wrong? Why did he leave? How could he abandon such a wonderful-

“Do you want to get out of here?”

Ben blinked.

“God, yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Clementine von Radics, [ Letter From Hades to Persephone ](https://clementinevonradicspoems.tumblr.com/post/107671258797/tell-me-losing-everything-is-what-saved-you-tell)


	3. i am forest fires and flowerbuds

Rey glanced around at the low lighting, the dark wood paneling, the all-black clothing of the bartenders and hid a small smirk as she sipped her drink. 

“Cheery.”

“Hm?” Ben tore his eyes from his whiskey and seemed to notice the gloomy decor of STYX for the first time. “Oh. Sorry. If you want to go somewhere-”

“No, no, this is fine,” she assured him. “It just seems a little… on the nose.”

He was scrambling for excuses when she laughed and leaned back into her chair. “But better this than those awful clubs my friend Poe keeps trying to drag me to.”

Jealousy immediately flared in his chest. “Poe?” 

“Our delivery driver, among other things. He keeps saying I need to escape Summerview and live a little. I’ve told him I like being around plants, and besides, Maz needs me.”

Tilting his head, he ventured, “At the flowershop?”

“Well, yes and no. I went away for college, that’s when I started working for Han, but then she got sick during my senior year so I moved back home.”

This somehow only confused him more. “Home?” 

“Yeah, she’s my mom.”

His mind tried to reconcile the math of how old Maz looked, and how old Rey was, with seemingly impossible results.

“Foster mom,” Rey explained in amusement after watching him calculate for a few moments.

“Oh. That makes more sense. Not that it’d be bad if she… or if you...”

Rey bit back a grin. “Do you really want to try and finish that sentence?” 

“No. No, I do not.”

Ben still could not look away from how bright her smile was, even in this place of darkness. He could see why his dad would…

Swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat, he took a long pull of his whiskey and waved at a server for another.

“So, you worked at his shop, huh?” He asked, tracing the rings of drinks long past on the table. “What’d you think of him?”

He peeked up to see her studying him thoughtfully, as if judging his state before answering.

“He was a little gruff, but I could tell he cared.” She took another sip of her red cosmo and shrugged. “I liked him.”

“Yeah. Everyone does. Did.” Grabbing the next drink from the waiter, he let the whiskey burn down his throat. “Bet you’re going to tell me that he loved me.”

“He did. A lot,” Rey told him quietly.

Ben scoffed and lifted his glass for another swig.

“So did you.”

He froze, the cold rim just pressed against his lips as his eyes flicked to her face. Twisting his mouth around, he set the whiskey back on the table. “Most anyone could tell you it’s the opposite - I hated my father.”

“Hate’s not the opposite of love.”

Those hazel eyes were staring at him with far too much clarity. “They’re… parallel. Almost the same, but too far removed.”

Her tone was too soft, too honest for the observation to be a simple platitude. For the first time, it struck him that perhaps her aura of warmth was something that had been nurtured, rather than simply grown.

“What’s the opposite, then?” He asked curiously.

“Nothing,” she responded flatly, mixing the small red seeds around in the dregs of her drink. “Indifference. Not caring enough to even summon... any emotion about someone.” Her crimson lips twitched into a sorrowful smile.

Sensing the depth of the lingering hurt beneath her words, Ben forced back the anger clenching his fist and gentled his voice. “Who did that to you?”

She glanced up at him in surprise, then let out a ghost of a chuckle. “My parents abandoned me behind a dumpster when I was a baby. Bounced around a couple of foster homes before Maz adopted me.” A wealth of sadness shone in her eyes. “Looked them up when I turned eighteen. Turns out they died in a drunk driving accident when I was five. Both wasted.”

A cold wave crashed over him.

“Anyways. Maz is the best mom I could have asked for. Plus, growing up in a greenhouse was kind of like a fairytale. Except with a lot more fertilizer and dirt under my nails,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

Taking the hint, Ben attempted a smile. “Sounds nice.”

“It was. But, enough about me.” She leaned forward, elbows on the table, propping her chin in her hands and waggling her eyebrows. “There’s something I’m _dying_ to know.”

Steeling himself, Ben took a deep breath. “Oh?”

Rey gave him a blazing grin. “What’s your best worst funeral story?”

The corner of his mouth tugged up at the gleam in her eyes. “Hmm,” he tapped his fingers in thought. “Best worst story. I had a guy pee on a coffin once.”

Her mouth dropped open in horrified glee. “No!”

“Oh yeah. Family was putting flowers on the casket, just before it was lowered down, and then this drunk cousin showed up…”

The sound of her pealing laughter and bright smile burned even more pleasantly than the whiskey.

***

“Alright, big guy, easy,” Rey laughed as he tried to manage the lock to the back door, frowning as the key refused to fit.

“Why isn’ it…”

“Probably because that’s your car key,” she informed him, taking the ring and flipping through the keys until she found the correct one.

“Upstairs,” he pointed, stepping cautiously since the rug suddenly turned into a flowing dark river.

“So, you live and work here,” she commented as he leaned unsteadily against her. “That’s…”

“Morbid,” he finished gloomily.

“I was going to say convenient.”

“‘S alright. ‘M used to it. People think I’m m… mar… marcob.” He furrowed his brows. “Merk… creepy. They think I’m creepy. Being around death all the time.”

Rey tilted her head a bit as they made it to the upper floor and he pushed open the door to his bedroom. “I don’t think it’s creepy.”

He’d heard that line before, from friends trying to spare his feelings or women trying to feel out his wealth. “Yes you do.”

The support under his right arm suddenly stayed put as he stumbled forward, turning to look at her in confusion, eyes going wide at the pure fury emanating from her.

“First, you don’t get to tell me what I do or do not think,” Rey snapped, hands on her hips. “No one gets to tell me that.”

He blinked, and half-wondered if he should salute or stand up straighter or something in response.

She began pacing across his room while he stood by his dresser. “Second, I don’t say things I don’t mean. If I tell you something, it’s because I believe it.”

“Well, I-”

“And third!” She whirled around to point at him. “Life is part of death! The reason flowers are so beautiful and valued is because they fade! Death is something to be met with peace and dignity and you give that to people. You give the dead rest and the living comfort and that is something to be proud of!”

Silence reigned a moment while her agitated breaths echoed loudly in his room.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed, then stepped forward to kiss her.

Or, tried to anyway.

Slightly alarmed at his rapid and unsteady movement, Rey shifted out of the way too quickly for him to course-correct, and his shins hit the edge of his mattress, dumping him facedown on his bed.

“Ow.”

“Are… are you alright?”

He took a moment to assess, finding it a bit difficult to tell which way was up until she rolled him to his back.

“I think so.”

Chuckling softly, she patted his forehead. “Alright, big guy. One sec.”

Distant rummaging told him she had found his bathroom, and soon a glass of water and two tablets of aspirin were set down on his nightstand. 

“These are for the morning. I’m putting my number in your phone in case you need some ginger ale or something tomorrow.”

“Ankoo,” he told her, his eyes growing unbearably heavy.

“You’re welcome. Alright, I’m going to-”

“Wait.” With monumental effort, he opened his eyes and flailed around for her hand. Taking pity on him, she grabbed his arm and sat on the edge of the bed. 

“Yes?”

“Wanna... tell you… that you’re…”

She raised an amused eyebrow. “That I’m…?”

“Green.”

His revelation did not have the intended effect, as she looked perplexed, rather than flattered.

“Well, thank you. I think. I’ll just be-”

“No, no, you’re…” he grasped for words. “Everything in my life is dark. Everything. And you’re… not. You’re green.”

Just before his eyes closed, he saw her gaze soften and she reached around him to pull a blanket up to his shoulders. “Goodnight, Ben.”

Already half-asleep, he might have imagined the gentle press of lips to his cheek, but he still allowed himself a small smile as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from [Persephone Speaks](https://savitris.tumblr.com/post/90590521802/i-am-not-the-story-you-have-been-told-i-am-not), by Amrita C.


	4. My mouth is the color of his mouth

Underhill was closed for a week.

It had never been closed for more than a single day in the entire decade he had been running it. 

Phasma had insisted.

“You need to take time off to deal with your grief. A week should be an adequate amount. If you don’t, your emotions will run unchecked and possibly hurt the business,” she informed him in that icy cool professional manner.

“My emotions will not run unchecked!”

Hux, his embalmer, had crossed his arms and lifted a judgemental eyebrow. “Have you met you?”

Ben’s immediate urge to punch the man in the face may have lent an air of truth to Phasma’s recommendation.

Begrudging, he agreed, and had thus spent the last few days alone, attempting to read books, catch up on paperwork, and reorganize his library. But no matter what he did, his thoughts were pulled back to his father, his mother, his family, vacillating between remorse and rage. He was finally reduced to cleaning; the most abysmal task he could think of to get his mind off of… everything.

So here he was, taking out the trash and scowling at the darkening clouds because there was nothing else to do in this damn empty-

He paused, then turned his head. He could have sworn he heard a… rustle? Or a creak?

Peeking around the back of the dumpster, Ben saw a dirty cardboard box haphazardly shoved against the wall. Frowning, he took a step forward, then leapt back as the entire box quivered. He summoned his courage, then peered over the edge to see what was inside.

“Shit!” He hissed, backing away. “Shit shit shit.”

He cast around for some idea - any idea - what to do next. He grabbed his phone with half a thought to type questions into Google until it answered him, but found himself pulling up his contacts and pressing the phone to his ear instead.

“Hello?” Rey sounded confused, but not unhappy to hear from him, which would have given him a boost of confidence had he not already been on the verge of panic.

“Rey, Rey. Thank God. Look, you know stuff about… things, right?”

There was a long pause. “Yes?”

“Living. You know stuff about  _ living  _ things.”

“I mean, it depends-”

“Okay, good, please, I just- I need you to come here as soon as possible.”

Her concern notched up a level. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine, I just… please?”

Ben could almost picture her quizzical look before she let out a readying breath and answered, “Okay. I’ll be over in just a few. Just hang on.”

It seemed an eternity before he heard a car’s engine cut out, followed by the crunch of gravel and a worried voice calling, “Ben?”

“Here! I’m over around the back.”

Finally, he saw her jog around the corner, hazel eyes lighting up when she spotted him. “Ben, what on earth-”

“Over here, quick!” He motioned hurriedly, then pointed to the cardboard box, which let out a high-pitched noise and twitched again.

Rey frowned at him as she marched closer. “Look, you’re going to have to give me some real answers right quick or-”

The rest of her indignant phrase was instantly cut off by a prolonged gasp as the contents of the box came into view.

_ “PUPPIES!!!!” _ She shrieked, causing Ben to wince and cover his ears a second too late.

Practically diving into the box, she soon held up three wriggling black and white spotted puppies, all desperately trying to lick her face at the same time.

“I don’t have enough hands!” She wailed, attempting to juggle all three so she could kiss the tops of each of their heads. “Oh yes, hello to you too, oh I know, aren’t you just the most beautiful puppies in the whole wide-”

She stopped suddenly, turning a ferocious glare Ben’s direction. “What on earth were you  _ thinking!?” _

“Well, I thought you might know things about taking care of-”

“How long have they been outside?” She demanded.

“I don’t-” 

“Well get them inside! It’s about to rain any second! We’ll need some newspaper, and some towels.”

“Newspaper, towels, rain,” he chanted to himself as Rey tried to balance the large cardboard box and stepped sideways through the door he was holding open.

After a few hours they had set up a holding pen of some sorts in his laundry room, the floor covered with towels as the puppies gnawed on his dustpan and the cord to his iron before he snatched it away. Rey was sitting in the middle of the floor, kissing and cooing to the three squirming animals, heedless of the urine soaking at least one of the towels.

“Are you sure you should be touching them? Won’t their mother not come back for them now?”

Rey bit her lip in amusement as she glanced up at him. “They’re puppies, not baby birds, Ben.”

“I don’t know!” He tossed his hands in the air in frustration. “I didn’t have pets growing up.”

Grinning at his flustered blush, Rey looked down at the spotted dogs as a hint of sadness crossed her face. “And their mother didn’t leave them behind your dumpster. People did.”

“People? Why? They could have died!”

“That was probably their intention,” she remarked softly as the puppies gulped down the water in his second best serving dish.

Ben froze. “What?”

“Happens all the time. I volunteered for an animal shelter in high school. People buy dogs for their kids or themselves, and then realize how much work they are. They start to grow up, start to look less like puppies, like these handsome fellows, or people think they’re too needy or badly behaved, so they just… abandon them.” She attempted a tight smile as the small creatures slowly collapsed against her, black eyes closing as they nuzzled her knee. “Like garbage.”

Shaking her head to clear it, she pulled out her phone and gently extricated herself from the sleeping pile. “So, there’s a couple different shelters you can take them to tomorrow, since it’s kinda late-”

“No.”

Rey blinked at him. “No?”

“No. They’re not going anywhere. You can’t just throw things away because they’re different from what you want,” he spoke quietly, but his hands and voice were shaking in rage. “Just because they’re not what you expected does not mean they don’t have worth and value and-”

The rest of his angry tirade was suddenly cut off by Rey rushing forward and forcefully sealing his mouth with her own. 

Shocked into stillness, floored by the sweetness of her lips, he just started to lean forward when she pulled back, eyes wide.

“I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t… I’ll just go-”

Ben stayed her movement with a single crooked finger under her chin, staring at her lips in quiet captivation. He heard her breath hitch as he shifted closer, slowly, carefully, until his mouth was a whisper away from her own. Only then did his eyes flick up to her hazel ones, still wide, but also burning from within with hues of green and gold.

Closing that last bit of distance between them, he lifted his hand from her chin to cup her face, savoring the taste of her mouth, the spice of her tongue, the give of her lips. And as her nails dug into his shoulder, as her teeth bit into his skin, as she roughly tugged him closer, he embraced the healing pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from [_Hades_](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/9193161-hades-where-we-go-when-he-closes-my-eyes-and) by Cecilia Woloch.


	5. i wasn't afraid, Mama; i wasn't taken. i left

* * *

“Him?”

Ben could hear Rey’s heavy sigh all the way from the other side of the flower shop, where he was pretending he couldn’t hear their conversation. “Maz…”

_“Him?”_

“Maz, if you just let me-”

“Are you out of your mind?”

_“Maz.”_ Rey’s voice now had an undercurrent of steely rebuke and bared teeth.

The older woman’s head peeked around the corner to glare at him suspiciously, and he busied himself with studying the peonies.

“Are you _sure?”_

“Yes.” She spoke with an odd mix of softness and strength. “More than anything.”

Ben peered cautiously through the display of sunflowers to see Maz reach forward to squeeze her hand, then let out a long breath before whirling around and marching toward him at a frightening pace.

“You. Me. Coffee. Now.”

Slightly alarmed, he glanced up at Rey, who gave him a sheepish shrug and encouraging smile. Resigning himself, he followed Maz to a coffee shop a few blocks down. Once he made sure he paid for her drink and pulled out her chair, Ben sat gingerly in the seat across from Rey’s adoptive mother.

“So.” Maz’s dark eyes narrowed at him. “My Rey tells me you’ve been dating a few months now.”

Ben nodded. “Yes.”

She hummed skeptically as she sipped her tea. “Hm. Do you love her?”

His mouth dropped open. “Uh…”

“Well? It’s a simple yes or no question. Do you love her?”

“I…” Despite (or perhaps because of) the woman’s stern glare, he lifted his chin firmly. “Yes. I do.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“What?”

“You said you love her. Tell me why. I assume if you do love her, you have reasons behind it?”

“I… Yes. Many.”

“Good. Pick one.”

Ben scrambled for words, finally stumbling upon: “She’s… alive.”

Maz tilted her head dangerously. “So are seven billion other people.”

“No, I… not like her. She…” As he searched for a way to explain, his face subconsciously softened. “She's full of life and strength, with roots deeper than the ocean. So many things have happened to her, but she’s still… vibrant. She brings color and light everywhere she goes. She… _is_ life."

Sitting back, Maz took another sip of her tea, and Ben could have sworn the corner of her mouth quirked up. “Alright, that was a fair speech.”

Before he could feel too self-satisfied, she leaned forward and spoke in a deadly tone, “But if you hurt her, if you break her heart, I know a thousand and one different poisons that could kill you without anyone the wiser. Are we clear?”

He nodded hastily.

“Good.” She stood, Ben following suit, and somehow managed to look down at him despite being at least two feet shorter than him. “You take care of her, you hear me?”

A warmth spread through his chest as he gave her a soft smile. “All my life.”

***

“Ben?”

He could hear Rey drop her keys in the bowl by the door and head upstairs as he quickly lit the last candle and waved away the smoke.

Three loud howls echoed down the hall as his trio of dogs assaulted her with whines and attempted kisses.

“Spotticus, down!”

(When he had the puppies for a week, Rey stopped by with toys and collars and had asked if he had picked names for them yet.

“Of course. Spot.”

“That’s great! What about this one?”

“Also Spot.”

She paused, then glanced up at him in confusion. “No, I mean, this one.”

“Yes. Spot.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask… and this one?”

“Spot.”

She gave an exasperated sigh. “Ben, you can’t name all of them Spot!”

“Why not?”

“What if you need to look at one in particular?”

“I call them all over and then look at the one I want.”

Rolling her eyes, Rey absently patted the puppies as they all head-butted her for attention. “Alright, fine. They’re your dogs. I’ll just give them nicknames.”

He looked over in suspicion. “Nicknames?”

“Exactly. I’ll call you…” She tapped her chin as she held one puppy up in the air. “Spottie.”

“Uh-huh.”

“And you’ll be… Spotadot, Dottie for short,” Rey grinned and ignored Ben’s frown. “And this beautiful boy shall be… Spotticus!”

Ben heaved a loud sigh. “You’re ridiculous.”

Standing and shedding the puppies in her lap with a series of protesting whines, she simply beamed before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “So are you.”)

“Dottie, I swear, if you pee on these shoes…”

Chuckling to himself, Ben called out, “Spots! Come!”

The sound of galloping paws thundered his way, all three dogs wagging their tails as they lined up in front of him.

“I told you one name was more efficient,” he teased as Rey finally poked her head into the dining room.

“Oh sure, it saved you two seconds, how absolutely…” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the beautifully set table in front of her, flickering candles in silver holders illuminating platters of fruits and steaming dishes, gleaming fine china, and a single flower in the center. “What’s all this?”

Ben gave each of the dogs a chin scratch before ushering them out of the room. “I just thought we could have a nice dinner in tonight.”

Rey gestured to her simple floral cotton day dress and leggings. “Ben, I dressed for grabbing tacos at Torchy’s and watching the Great British Bake Off on the couch, not a four course meal!”

Coming around the dark walnut table, he pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “You look perfect.”

“Says the man in all black,” she grumbled, but still drew closer to the table, inhaling the rich aroma of the feast before her. “Ooo, are these cheesy garlic mashed potatoes? I love…”

Her gaze lit on the red flower in the middle of the table and her whole body froze. “Is… is that a chocolate cosmos?” She inquired in a deceptively calm voice.

Ben attempted a shrug. “Maybe.”

Rey whirled around to stare at him. “That’s one of the rarest flowers in the entire world,” she hissed. 

“Is it?” He hummed in faux surprise. “I’ve also heard it smells like red velvet cake. Your favorite.”

“I… how…” her eyes darted over to the deep crimson bloom. “Does it?”

Biting back a smile, he gestured to the flower. “Why don’t you find out?” 

She gave him a suspicious glance, but he could see she was intrigued. Stepping closer, Rey closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Oh, wow.” 

As she opened her eyes and leaned down to inspect the petals, she took another sniff and smiled. “I can’t believe it really-”

Her sudden silence told Ben that she had discovered the small gift he had tucked into the center of the ruby-red plant.

In stunned disbelief, Rey reached inside the flower and plucked the silver ring hidden within. Small engraved leaves spiralled along the twisting band, rising up to a star-shaped series of blue sapphires and clear gems created an open flower adorned with a diamond center. Turning slowly to face him, she saw Ben already on one knee, his large hands reaching up to cover her own trembling ones.

“Rey,” he swallowed, “I-”

“Yes.”

He blinked. “What?”

“Yes,” she nodded with a wide, teary smile. 

“Oh. I uh… I had a speech all prepared, about how you’re the best thing that ever happened to me and you bring beauty and life and-”

“Ben.”

“Yes?”

She knelt down as well, cupping his face in her hands, and gave him a watery laugh. “Shut up and kiss me.”

***

They were married in a garden, because of course they were.

Rey went up on her tiptoes to kiss him, bare feet digging into the dirt with glee, her crown of daisies and lilies and roses shedding pollen and petals on his pristine black suit as a wide smile broke open on Ben’s face, his hands splayed across her back, pressing her as close as could be.

Leia embraced them both with tears while Chewie growled his happiness and crushed them in a bear hug.

Maz’s smile was one of reluctant acceptance.

“Maz,” Rey grasped both of her hands. “Please be happy for me.”

“I am, dear,” Maz sighed, then lowered her voice. “I just don’t want him taking you away from me.”

“He’s not taking me away, Maz,” she said, glancing over at Ben as she slipped her hand into his. 

“We’re going forward.” 

He squeezed her hand as she gave him one of her slow, beatific smiles that warmed his entire soul.

“Together.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from [ _Letters From Persephone_](https://mythpoetrynet.tumblr.com/post/131176978553/i-wasnt-afraid-mama-i-was-bored-i-was)by Natalie Wee.
> 
> Information about the Chocolate Cosmos can be found [ here](https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/All-About-Chocolate-Cosmos).
> 
> Now that it's no longer anonymous, I can say thank you to Impossiblefangirl for the amazing prompt, and as usual, to my *incredible* beta shewhospeakswiththunder. Thank you all so much for reading and commenting!! ❤️


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